BuzzMath is a platform where middle school students develop mathematics competencies corresponding to the Common Core standards. The project issues Open Badges aligned to these standards as students complete activities on buzzmath.com.

The BuzzMath team from the small software development firm Scolab wants to help students in grades 6 through 8 achieve competency in the mathematics standards included in the Common Core State Standards system. To this end, the website guides students through “practice documents” and “challenge documents” targeting each element of the standards (Figure 2). These take the form of sets of assessment questions that progress in difficulty and build on learned concepts as they go. They are designed to complement classroom instruction and assessment. In addition, teachers that use BuzzMath in their classrooms will be able to track their students’ skill development through an integrated dashboard

The badging initiative LevelUp is the result of a partnership between Adams County District 50, EffectiveSC, and Intific. LevelUp is a web-based platform for students to map the progression of their learning experiences on their own, personal competency map, with the capacity to take effect across systems and institutions, including “K-12 schools, colleges, extra-curricular activities, or job training”

A Hewlett Foundation and Gates Foundation Project Mastery grantee, the non-profit organization Asia Society collaborated with ShowEvidence to develop Pathways to Global Competence. This is a proficiency-based badging system for high school students. The project aimed to engage learners in “powerful, relevant, and self-directed [ways] as they master skills and knowledge enabling them to develop their identity as a global youth leader” (HASTAC). The badging effort aimed to expand students’ cross-cultural knowledge and enhance their understanding of global issues.

Student Reporting Labs is a educational program offered by PBS News Hour in which participating high school teachers offer their students the opportunity to write and record a story about their community with the chance of getting it broadcast on local or national television.

Who Built America Badges for History Education (WBA) is a project developed by the American Social History Project (ASHP) in partnership with Electric Funstuff and Education Development Center (EDC). The project moves the face-to-face synchronous professional development for grade 7-12 history teachers that the ASHP has been conducting for over 20 years to an online asynchronous space where teachers work at their own pace and without a cohort. This has been a somewhat challenging process, but the use of leveled digital badges and formative assessments have aided in the process. WBA master history teacher badgeThere is substantial effort to build community within WBA, and teachers can build relationships beyond a small cohort. This professional development helps teachers grow in both content and pedagogy; through a series of tasks and engagement in both the community and with ASHP experts, teachers can earn the badge and title of Master History teacher.

Regardless of where you start, it’s more than likely you’ll end up somewhere other than your intended destination. That’s okay. Systems are living things, and your badge system needs to be flexible. You must embrace a bit of chaos in its design.
-Carla Casilli, Director of Design + Practice at the Badge Alliance